Valve construction



M. H. GROVE ET AL Nov. 17, 1953 VALVE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed May 15,' 1948 INVENTORS Patented Nov. 17, 1953 VALVE CONSTRUCTION Marvin H. Grove, Piedmont, and Austin U. Bryant, Berkeley, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Grove Regulator Company, Oakland, lCalif., a corporation of California Original application May 15, 1948, Serial No. 27,308. Divided and this application October 9, 1951, Serial No. 250,419

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to valves of the type utilizing a valve member movable between open and closed positions for controlling ow of fluid.

Conventional globe and similar types of flow control valves employ a valve member adapted to be moved rectilinearly in opposite directions between open and closed positions with respect to a stationary annular valve seat. Metal to metal valve Working surfaces are commonly employed, although one or more of the valve parts, as for example the stationary seat, may be made of or faced with non-metallic material such as resilient rubber. It is characteristic of such valves that a substantial amount of force must be exerted between the valve member and its cooperating seat, to maintain a substantially sealed relationship. This tends to cause deterioration of the valve working surfaces, particularly when excessive forces are employed, as is common in the manual operation of such valves. Also with such valves it is diicult to maintain a bubble tight seal. This is particularly true where metal surfaces are employed.

In our copending application Serial No. 27,308 led May 15, 1948, of which this application is a division, there is disclosed a valve making use of sealing means of the resilient O ring type, which is arranged to establish a bubble tight seal between the stationary seat and the movable valve member, for closed position of the valve. Such a valve has the property of establishing a bubble tight seal without application of excessive closing force. As set forth in said copending application, a valve of this kind involves the problem of preventing dislodgment of the resilient O ring by fluid ow, particularly when the valve is used on fluid systems involving relatively high fiuid pressures. 'I'his is because the resilient ring is loosely accommodated Within a retaining groove, and is therefore susceptible to ready dislodgment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved valve making use of sealing means of the 0 ring type and which will prevent dislodgrnent of the resilient O ring or rings employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved valve of the above character having novel guard means which moves automatically between seal ring protecting and out-ofthe-way positions, in response to movement of the valve member between full open and closed positions.

Additional objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view in section illustrating a valve incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail illustrating the working parts of the valve of Figure l, and with the parts in closed position of the valve.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional detail like Figure 2 but with the parts in open position.

The valve illustrated in Figure 1 is of the manual operated type and consists of a body I0 having inflow and outflow passages II and I2, which are adapted to be connected to associated piping. An annular seat member I3 is formed within the body, either integral therewith or as a separate member. This member has a cylindrical bore I4 therethrough Which forms a throat orice for flow of fluid when the valve is open. An operating stem I6 extends into the valve body in alignment with the bore I4. Suitable means (not shown) can be connected to the exterior end of this valve stem for moving the same rectilinearly and to position the valve assembly as desired. Suitable sealing or packing gland means (not shown) can be provided to prevent leakage between the stem and the body. The inner end of the stem I6 carries a valve assembly Il which cooperates with the seat I3.

The inner cylindrical peripheryof the seat I3 is interrupted by the annular groove I8, and this groove serves to loosely accommodate the resilient seal ring I9. Preferably this seal'ring is of the 0 ring type, having a circularV cross-sectional contour. It can be formed of a suitable elastomer, such as synthetic rubber. 'y

The valve assembly I1 includes the valve member 2l), which in this instance is asimple plunger having a cylindrical periphery 2'I'." It is suitably attached to the inner end of the stem I6, as by means of the threaded engagement 22. The diameter of the valve member 20 is slightly less than the diameter of the bore I4, whereby a snug sliding lit is established. Adjacent one side of the valve member 20, and preferably on that side remote from the stem, there is an annular guard member or ring 23, which has an outer cylindrical periphery formed to the same diameter as the diameter of the valve member.

As means for mounting the guard member 23 with respect to the valve member, a rod 24 slidably extends through the hollow stem I6, and its one end (remote from the stem) carries the hub 26, which in turn is attached to the ring 23 by the webs 2l. Thus the ring 23 is at all times aligned with respect to the valve member 20, but is free to move toward or away from the same.

Spring means is provided to normally urge the guard ring 23 toward and against one side of the valve member. Thus a compression spring 28 surrounds the stem I6. One end of this spring acts against the valve member, and the other end seats upon a washer 29, which in turn engages the pin 3|. This pin extends through the adjacent end portion of the rod 24, and is acfollows: Full closed position of the valve assembly is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The dimensioning of the resilient O ring is such that this ring is normally compressed in a radial direction whereby it establishes a fluid tight seal between the valve member and the seat I3. As the valve is moved toward open position the valve member 20 is retracted from engagement with the resilient O ring, but the valve member is immediately followed by the guard member 23. Thus as the valve member is retracted from the throat orice the guard ring moves into protective relation with respect to the groove I8 and the resilient O ring I9. Immediately after the valve member 20 leaves sealing engagement with the O ring I9 some flow may occur through the small clearance between the outer periphery of the valve member and the inner periphery of the seat, although this now is relatively restricted.

However, as the valve member is retracted completely from the orice the effective flow area is increased rapidly, until full open position is reached. Normal flow under such conditions occurs through the openings or ports between the Webs 21, and this effective ow area is proportioned to suit the requirements of the valve.

Assuming that inlet pressure is applied to pasu sage Il, it will be evident that for the closed position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, inlet pressure acts downwardly upon the rod 24 to tend to move the guard ring 23 downwardly against the spring 28. Therefore if inlet pressure is to be applied to the passage Il, spring 28 should be suinciently strong to resist the inlet pressure. When passage l2 is made the inlet, uid pressure acts 'f 1n conjunction with the compression spring 23 to urge the guard ring Aagainst the vvalve member.

It will be evident that we have provided a valve suitable for a wide variety of industrial applications. The O ring is protected against dislodgment and the valve is therefore applicable to relatively high uid pressures of the order of 2000 p. s. i. or more.

We claim:

1. In a uid control valve, a valve body hav- -ing flow passages, an annular seat member formed within the body .and providing a cylindrical throat orifice serving toconnect the inflow and outflow passages, a valve stem slidably ex- Y tended into the body in axial alignment with the axis of the throat orifice, an annular groove serving to interrupt the inner peripheral surface of thethroat orice, a resilient seal ring loosely disposed within said groove, and a valve assembly carried by the inner end of said stem and adapted to be moved between full open and closed positions with respect to the seat member, said valve assembly including a member having a cylindrical outer periphery and adapted to t within the throat orice for full closed position of the valve assembly and to lbe retracted from the throat orifice in spaced relation to the seat member for full open position of the valve assembly, a guard member having an outer cylindrical periphery of the same diameter as the cylindrical periphery of said valve member, said guard member being ported for ow of fluid therethrough, a rod slidably extended through said valve member, the guard member being attached to one end of said rod and being disposed adjacent that side of the valve member remote from the valve stem, spring means disposed to act between the valve member and the rod to normally urge the guard member against said last mentioned side of the valve member, whereby the outer cylindrical peripheries of the valve and guard members are contiguous, and means for arresting movement of the guard member whereby when the valve assembly is moved to full open position, following movement of the guard member with `respect to the valve member is arrested vto retainthe guard member within the throat orice and in a position to retain the seal ring within said groove, and means for maintaining a iluid tight seal between said valve member and said rod.

2. In a iluid flow control valve, a valve body having fiow passages, an annular seat member formed in the body and providing a cylindrical throat orifice for ilowof uid between said passages, a valve member ycarried by the body and movable in opposite directions between open and closed positions with respect to the valve seat, said valve member having a cylindrical portion formed to nt within the cylindrical throat orifice, a rod slidably extended through the valve member, means i'or establishing a fluid tight seal effective to prevent leakage between the rod and the valve member, an annular guard member attached to one end of the rod on one side of the valve member, means for limiting sliding movement of the rodrelative to the valve member, spring means for urging the rod in a direction to urge the guard member toward the valve member, said guard member having an outer cylindrical periphery which is substantially the same 'diameter as the cylindrical portion of the valve member, a groove interrupting the inner peripheral surface of the seat member, a resilient seal ring loosely disposed vwithin said groove, said seal ring being compressed in a radial direction when said valve member is within the throat orice to effect a seal between the seat member and the valve member, said guard member having a port therethrough for flow of iluid, and means including -a shoulder carried by the valve body and serving to arrest movement of the guard member with respect to the valve member whereby when said valve member is moved to full open position, said guard member remains positioned within said throat orice in protective engagement with said seal ring.

3. A fluid control valve as in claim 1 in which the stem is hollow and in which the rod extends through the stem.

MARVIN' H. GROVE. AUSTIN U. BRYANT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date l 969,803 Pollock Sept. 13, 1910 2,469,921 Hoge May 10, 1949 

